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County Council cracks down on Blue Badge misuse and fraudhttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=670617http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=670617
County Council cracks down on Blue Badge misuse and fraud

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Hampshire County Council has confiscated almost ten percent of the Blue Badges checked during targeted enforcement action at the end of February, to tackle Blue Badge misuse and fraud in disabled parking areas.

In crackdown operations held in Andover, Basingstoke, Aldershot/Farnborough, and Havant/Fareham, over 500 badges were inspected. In the majority of cases, people were using their badge correctly. However, 49 were confiscated by the County Council. The infringements included; people using someone else's badge, and the use of expired badges. In the Andover, Basingstoke and Aldershot/Farnborough areas, there were three cases where people were using a deceased person's badge.

In addition to receiving penalty charge notices, holders also had badges confiscated and received formal warnings.

Hampshire County Council, as the Blue Badge issuing authority, is responsible for Blue Badge enforcement in Hampshire. Together with the district councils who are responsible for their local parking enforcement, the councils identify potential or proven misuse and respond to allegations of misuse.

It is a criminal offence for a person to use a badge that does not belong to them; to alter a badge; to create a copy of a badge; to use an expired badge; and to commit any form of fraud relating to the use of a Blue Badge, or acquiring a Blue Badge.

Where cases require further investigation, Hampshire County Council works with Portsmouth City Council, (recent winners of the British Parking award for 'Parking Team of the year') to carry out investigations on the County Council's behalf. These investigations can lead to prosecution should they be serious enough to make such action necessary.

In total, around 66,000 people have Blue Badges in Hampshire and each year, the County Council issues around 22,000 to ensure that people with the most severe mobility problems continue to be supported so that they can get around more easily. The Blue Badge Scheme is a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe mobility difficulties, who travel as either passengers or drivers, and allows badge holders to park close to their destination.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry, said: "As the issuing authority for Blue Badges in Hampshire, it is important that we take action against people misusing Blue Badges. By carrying out enforcement operations such as these, our main objective is to make people aware that Blue Badge misuse is not a victimless crime. Drivers, who are misusing or abusing the system, are taking spaces away from those who genuinely need them. Residents with disabilities rely on Blue Badges to provide essential access to the places they need to go, and we will continue to pursue those who deliberately put disabled people at a disadvantage by flouting the law.

"My twin brother spent the last 12 months of his life confined to a wheelchair. For the most part he accepted that with equanimity and a good deal of humour. However, the one thing that really got him angry was unentitled people using a disabled bay - often excusing themselves they were only going to be a couple of minutes. I have never forgotten just how important those bays are to people with disabilities."

]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 14:08:00 GMTE-Cigarette users helped to quit this No Smoking Day http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=670157http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=670157
E-Cigarette users helped to quit this No Smoking Day

Thursday, 05 March 2015

Make No Smoking Day (11 March) the day you start to stop. The first day without cigarettes is often the hardest - but with free support from Quit4Life, Hampshire's NHS Stop Smoking Service, you are up to four times more likely to keep your first 24 hours smokefree.

Thinking about or trying to reduce your smoking by using an e-cigarette? Quit4life is one of the first "e-cigarette friendly" NHS stop smoking services in the country. It offers free support and advice to users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes to beat the habit as well as help make sure any medical conditions are monitored. Trained advisers answer questions on a range of products which help you quit smoking, while additional one-to-one or group support increases your chances of quitting smoking and staying quit.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said:"I would encourage any smoker to quit for No Smoking Day and join the 5,000 plus Hampshire residents who signed up to quit during Stoptober last year. No Smoking Day is another great opportunity to quit and a chance to improve the health and wealth of you and your family."

Quitting reduces your risk of heart disease and developing lung cancer, improves your general fitness and increases your sense of taste and smell. Your pocket will be healthier too, with most smokers who quit saving on average around £150 a month. You will also protect the health of your family by reducing their exposure to secondhand smoke.

For help to quit smoking or advice on e-cigarettes, contact Quit4Life on 0845 602 4663, text: QUIT to 60123 or visit www.quit4life.nhs.uk. The Service provides free confidential advice and support for smokers of all ages through drop-in sessions, one-to-one help and a dedicated telephone support service with free patches and gum or a one-off prescription payment.

With a responsibility for Public Health, Hampshire County Council works in partnership with other organisations across the county to reduce the overall levels of smoking in Hampshire by:

A budget that will inject hundreds of millions of pounds of new economic activity into Hampshire was finalised by Hampshire County Councillors today.

The Budget for 2015/16 includes a Capital Programme representing £876m spend over four years - the biggest ever investment in jobs and supply chains. It provides resource and capacity to deliver more and better schools places, improved roads, Extra Care homes and superfast broadband.

Council Leader Roy Perry said it was a "careful, cautious and competent budget". It will keep Hampshire in a strong position to tackle the further austerity measures needed to meet the ongoing downward pressures on Local Government funding over the next few years, when revenue savings will become very much harder to find.

Starting early and using transformation programmes to generate significant efficiencies, the Council has worked through a reduction of 51 per cent in general grant from Government since 2010. The job of managing the council's finances had been more difficult than ever.

The revenue budget, which covers the cost of providing services, has had to be reduced by a further 12 per cent in 2015/16 to meet cuts in grant, and to balance demand pressures linked to an ageing population and children in care. As a priority area, additional resources of £12.5m have been built into the Children's Services budgets for vulnerable children in need of support and services. Following consultation, the budget also provides money to sustain the Short Breaks programme for children with disabilities and for youth services, while other sources of funding are explored.

The County's share of the Council Tax has been set at the same level for the sixth year in a row at £1037.88 for a Band D property. The Leader said that, with inflation at 11 per cent in that time, this represented a real term decrease of 9.9 per cent, reducing the call in real terms on stretched household finances.

He said Hampshire County Council was maintaining its record of having one of the lowest levels of Council Tax, while providing some of the highest levels of services and with one of the lowest levels of Government grant per head of population.

"According to Ofsted, our children's services are some of the best in the country. We lead the country in property and shared services, growing an expanded organisation whereby other councils buy increasing levels of professional services from us, allowing us to retain high quality staff and capacity for the benefit of Hampshire residents. The condition of Hampshire roads scores highest with road users, again by independent evaluation" he said.

The Council will need to find further savings of around £100m by 2017, on top of the £240m it is on track to have removed from its expenditure by March 2016 with this budget. The Council will begin consultation in March on a range of options to deliver the right support to residents at the right time and in the best way, which is likely to mean scaling back some areas and doing some things differently. Cllr Perry said more and more partnership working between county, district and town and parish and the voluntary sector was needed to address these pressures.

Referring to the start of work last week on a new £548,000 youth drop-in centre at Ringwood, Cllr Perry said the Town Council contributed to the running of youth services and has contributed £70,000 capital to the new centre. He encouraged other town and parish councils to think if they could do anything to help."Increasingly county funding will have to be targeted at those in greatest need - if local communities want to retain more general provision - and I applaud them if they do - then we all need to be more imaginative and supportive.

"I want the county to help communities, just as we help with the fleet of 70 community mini buses that are operated by councils of community service and parish councils across the county," he said.

Councillor Perry also paid tribute to the commitment of council staff who were having to take on new and different roles. The demography and complexity of adult social care in particular mean that the services and management capacity were stretching the very best talent across different organisations. By expanding its services to other authorities it was offering a future in an organisation that was growing its businesses, growing its capacity and creating opportunities for promotion and personal development.

Hampshire County Council has joined forces with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, the NHS and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to encourage people to protect their families from the dangers of secondhand smoke and reduce the risk of fire by not smoking indoors.

80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and odourless and opening doors and windows does not remove its harmful poisons. Breathing in other people's tobacco smoke is known to cause a range of disorders from minor eye and throat irritation through to heart disease and lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for children, babies, and women who are pregnant. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of asthma, meningitis and middle ear infections. Cigarettes are also the second most common cause of fires in Hampshire homes.

Hampshire County Council is also seeking people's views on smoke free homes and cars and asking people to complete their online survey or you can search online for Hampshire smoke free homes. The survey results will help to inform a decision by the borough council on whether to introduce a voluntary ban on smoking near children's outdoor play areas.

The Step Out smoke free homes campaign aims to spread the word that the best way to protect your family from the harms of cigarette smoke is to make your home and car smoke free. The campaign includes a new resource pack for primary and junior schools for pupils to learn about secondhand smoke. Schools are also taking part in a competition for pupils to design a poster to encourage people not to smoke around children in outdoor play parks, with an exclusive VIP tour of Basingstoke Fire Station on offer as the prize.

In addition the County Council and the Quit4Life Hampshire Stop Smoking Service are providing training for Children's Centre staff, Health Visitors and School Nurses.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: "We hope this campaign will capture the imagination of local school children and give us some brilliant designs that will really help to spread the message that the best way to protect children from the dangers of cigarettes is not to smoke around them."

Station Manager Ian Wadmore of Basingstoke Fire Station said: "We are delighted to be supporting our partners with this initiative. As a fire service we would encourage people to be aware of the increased risk of fire as well as the dangers of second hand smoke. Smoker's materials, such as cigarettes and matches, cause the largest proportion of fire deaths in the home. If you do choose to smoke, stub cigarettes out properly, dispose of them carefully and always ensure that you keep matches and lighters out of children's reach."

For smokers who want to quit altogether, the local NHS Stop Smoking Service, Quit4Life, can offer friendly help and professional support for free - contact them on 0845 602 4663 or email: quit4life@nhs.net

This January, Hampshire County Council is supporting Change4Life's campaign to help parents reduce the amount of sugar their children eat and drink.

It's surprising how much sugar there is in the food and drink we give our children throughout the day and many people have no idea how much sugar they and their family really consume. Change4Life's Sugar Swap campaign aims to reduce our sugar intake with examples of how we can make simple changes, or swaps, to food and drink, at key occasions in the day. This includes picking sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks, getting the kids involved with shopping for lower sugar snacks or having 'me sized' puddings after a meal.

No more than 10% of a person's daily calorie intake should be made up of sugar, but we know that consumption of sugar across all age groups is above the recommended amount.

Excess sugar leads to excess calories and a build-up of fat in the body, and increases our risk of developing dangerous conditions including cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In Hampshire, there are still one in five children entering school who are overweight or obese and by the age of ten-11 years this rises to almost one in three.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: "We wouldn't let our children eat sugar straight from the sugar bowl. But we tend not to think about sugar in the other things they eat and drink. Making small changes, such as swapping from sugary cereals to plain porridge, plain wholewheat or plain shredded wholegrain, will help to reduce our daily consumption of sugar. To join in, all you need to do is sign up with Change4Life and pick one easy swap."

Search Change4Life online to find out more about the campaign as well as receive practical, easy to implement hints, tips, advice and recipes to try with your family.

Hampshire County Council is urging anyone thinking of releasing sky lanterns to celebrate the New Year to think again, after receiving widespread public support for the ban it has imposed covering its own land and properties.

Council Leader Roy Perry has received a great number of emails from people concerned about the consequences that the release of sky lanterns can have for animals and the environment. Many more have written to thank the Council for its actions and said they hope that other councils would follow suit.

Councillor Perry made a decision in September to ban the use of sky lanterns on all County Council-owned property in response to a growing number of safety concerns due to their fire risk and risk to livestock, animals and damage to crops and property.

Councillor Perry said: "We've had concerns about the safety of sky lanterns and the potential damage they can cause for some time. As well as their impact on the environment, livestock and animals including littering on land and at sea, they are a potential hazard to air traffic, coastal shipping and consumer safety. We've also urged others to consider imposing a similar ban relating to events and activities in their grounds and premises. There are many other less hazardous ways to mark this special occasion that don't present such risks so I would ask people to think twice."

Hampshire County Council is encouraging smokers to stop as part of a new national campaign being launched for the New Year.

The Public Health England Health Harms campaign shows the damage caused by smoking to every part of your body and aims to dispel the myth that hand-rolled tobacco is less dangerous than manufactured cigarettes.

This follows on from the successful Stoptober campaign, which supported smokers trying to kick the habit. Quit4Life, the Hampshire NHS Stop Smoking Service, helped 320 people meet the Stoptober challenge and successfully quit smoking in October.

If you managed to quit for Stoptober then your health will have improved and risk of cancer and heart disease reduced, and you will have saved money - £546 if you smoked 20 a day. See how much you will save if you quit now.

Dawn Poustie, who works for Hampshire County Council's contact centre, successfully quit with the help of an adviser from Quit4Life. With weekly support in the workplace, Dawn has now stayed quit for 13 weeks. Dawn said: "Having managed to complete the Stoptober challenge, I certainly have no plans to stop giving up now. I am already beginning to feel better for not smoking, have really got into going to the gym and have been able to treat myself with the money I have saved by not smoking. I think this will be the time I stop for good."

Although many smokers manage to stop on their own, using a specialist NHS Stop Smoking Service means you are up to four times more likely to successfully quit. Over the last year, Quit4life, which offers a free stop smoking service, has helped over 5000 people in Hampshire stop smoking.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: "I would like to congratulate Dawn and everyone who managed to quit in Stoptober. Quitting smoking is such a major achievement and the best way you can look after your current and future health. The New Year is another excellent opportunity to go smoke free, so why not give it a go?"

Quit4Life are also able to help e-cigarette users to stop smoking. To find out more information about the Quit4Life stop smoking services, visit www.quit4life.nhs.uk call 0845 602 4663 or text QUIT to 60123.

]]>Mon, 29 Dec 2014 08:45:00 GMTSign up to Dry Januaryhttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=662621http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=662621
Sign up to Dry January

Monday, 22 December 2014

Nearly one in four people in Hampshire drink more than the safe recommended levels of alcohol each week.

As part of its ongoing Drink less campaign, Hampshire County Council is encouraging residents to sign up to Dry January 2015 and go alcohol free for a full 31 days.

After the Christmas festivities, not drinking for the month of January will help you to reduce your calorie intake and spending on alcohol. Importantly it will give your body a break from alcohol and provide a chance to think about your drinking.

Drinking too much alcohol can lead to short-term effects such as high blood pressure and weight gain and also long term effects including heart and liver damage. Those who have previously joined Dry January found after the 31 days they drank less alcohol per day. Reducing how much we drink can help to improve our general health and prevent the development of health issues.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Hampshire County Council, said: "Many people do not realise how much they are drinking, especially when they are at home. It is easy to drink more than we planned to and I would encourage people to join this campaign and take the opportunity to have a break from alcohol. By taking some simple steps to moderate their drinking they will benefit from a healthier lifestyle."

Over 100,000 people in the UK are living with HIV. Of these it is estimated that 1 in 5 do not know they have the infection and are at increased risk of passing the virus onto others.

The aims of HIV Testing Week (23 - 30 November) and World AIDS Day (1 December), which Hampshire County Council is backing, are to:

raise awareness of the importance of being tested

encourage HIV testing, especially amongst those most at risk (people from African communities, men who have sex with men, those with multiple sexual partners, those who inject drugs) and their sexual partners

increase the number of early HIV diagnoses.

The most common way that HIV is passed on is through people having sex without a condom.

Early diagnosis of HIV, timely treatment and support can mean a near-normal life span and better long term health outcomes.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said, "Although nationally the proportion of people being diagnosed late has reduced slightly we are hoping this campaign will further encourage those most at risk to get an HIV test. In Hampshire, not only can people get an HIV test at their local sexual health clinic but they can also access Solent NHS Trust's Quick Check service which is available at a number of community venues across Hampshire."

The Quick Check tests are free, confidential and quick - a simple finger prick with the results often available in 60 seconds.

During Alcohol Awareness Week this year (17- 23 November) Hampshire County Council is encouraging people who drink alcohol daily to think about their drinking and consider how they might cut down during the festive season.

One in four of Hampshire's population - around 257,000 people - are thought to drink more than the safe recommended levels of alcohol each week.

This can have an immediate and obvious impact on people's health, such as fatigue or depression, high blood pressure and weight gain.

In addition it can cause a range of hidden long term effects, including heart and liver damage and increase the risk of various cancers.

As Christmas approaches think about how much you alcohol you are drinking. You can still drink but aim to have less by:

pacing and spacing - sip slowly, space drinks out, have soft drink or water in between

swapping to a smaller bottle of beer instead of a can, a single instead of a double

swapping your usual for a low-alcohol drink

Tips on how to cut down alcohol consumption can be found by searching online for Hampshire Drink-less. The site also provides details on how to join 'Dry January', which offers an opportunity to challenge yourself to go alcohol-free, save money, lose weight and make a difference to your health.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, at Hampshire County Council, said: "No one is saying that people should not be able to enjoy a drink a two, especially during the festive season, but regularly drinking more than the recommended levels can lead to long term alcohol-related health problems. Many people do not realise how much they are drinking, especially when at home, but by taking some simple steps it is possible to moderate your drinking and benefit from a healthier lifestyle."

By drinking within the recommended limits and having a few alcohol days free every week, you will help your body to stay healthy.

The daily recommended sensible drinking limits are:

men should not regularly drink (every day or most days of the week) more than three to four units of alcohol per day

women should not regularly drink (every day or most days of the week) more than two to three units of alcohol per day

]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:00:00 GMTCounty Council cracks down on Blue Badge misuse and fraudhttp://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=658214http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebnewslist.htm?id=658214
County Council cracks down on Blue Badge misuse and fraud

Friday, 07 November 2014

Hampshire County Council has confiscated more than a quarter of Blue Badges checked during targeted enforcement action in October to tackle Blue Badge misuse and fraud in disabled parking areas.

In crackdown operations held in Winchester, Andover and Eastleigh, 28 of the 100 badges inspected were confiscated by the Council. The infringements included; people using someone else's badge; people using a deceased person's badge, and use of expired badges.

In addition to receiving penalty charge notices, holders also had badges confiscated and received formal warnings.

The County Council has been using new powers to target Blue Badge fraud. The Authority has also teamed-up with Portsmouth City Council's Blue Badge enforcement team, as well as stepping up partnership working with Hampshire's district and borough councils who have responsibility for parking enforcement in general.

In total, around 70,000 people have Blue Badges in Hampshire, and each year, the County Council issues around 22,000 to ensure that people with the most severe mobility problems continue to be supported so that they can get around more easily. The Blue Badge Scheme is a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe mobility difficulties, who travel either as passengers or drivers, and it allows badge holders to park close to their destination.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry, said: "It is shocking to find out the lengths to which some people will go, for just a few hours of free parking - including using a deceased person's Blue Badge.

"This is a national problem, but as the issuing authority for Blue Badges in Hampshire, we must ensure that they are being used correctly in the county by the people who really need them, and that disabled people are not competing with drivers who might be misusing or abusing the system. We are determined to protect the quality of life for our vulnerable residents."

Steven Hewett, Parking Investigation Officer, Portsmouth City Council said: "We're proud of the work undertaken in the city and across the county to support the Blue Badge scheme. We will continue to pursue those that deliberately put disabled people to a disadvantage."

Helen Dolphin, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Disabled Motoring UK, said: "I'm delighted to hear that Hampshire County Council is tackling Blue Badge abuse, so successfully. Unfortunately abuse of this scheme is seen by many as a victimless crime and many authorities just sweep it under the carpet. However, when you have a disability which means you can only walk a very short distance, being able to park close to where you need to go, is essential.

"I hope Hampshire's excellent work continues so this scheme can return to being one which helps and improves the lives of disabled people, and not just those who are too lazy to walk that little bit further."